If you are considering moving your family to the Mountain state, picking a location with good schools is an important factor to consider. Although West Virginia is sometimes the punchline of jokes regarding the uneducated, the state boasts several school districts that are nationally ranked as some of the best in the nation. Of the 55 counties and 58 school districts in the state, we have picked the top three: Monongalia County, Ohio County, and Putnam County as the best school districts in West Virginia.
We examined several sources for information, from user generated rankings to national reports. With this information, we narrowed the 55 counties to 10. We then examined those 10 counties and picked geographical areas that had towns or cities of 5,000 or more, with available and affordable housing and a lower unemployment rate. Finally, we factored in certain amenities that would appeal to families such as outdoor amusements, festivals, sports teams, restaurants, etc.
Source: wikimedia.org
Located in the northeastern part of the state, Monongalia County serves just over 11,000 students that attend 20 public schools: 13 elementary, four middle and three high schools. The county seat is Morgantown, which is also the location of West Virginia University. Employment in the education, legal, law enforcement, medical, and emergency services fields are plentiful. The university has a constant flow of sporting and cultural activities for the entire family, and outings to larger cities such as Charleston and Pittsburgh, PA are a short drive away.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Located in the northern panhandle of the state, Ohio County has 5,500 students enrolled in 14 public schools: nine elementary, four middle and one high school. The county's lone public high school, Wheeling Park, is nationally ranked. The schools all have thriving music and arts programs as well as sport teams, ranging from soccer and tennis to football and basketball. Wheeling, with a population just over 28,000 and a median household income of $35,245, is the county seat and offers employment in law enforcement, education, medical, legal and customer service areas. As an added bonus, because of its close proximity to Ohio (Columbus is 2 hours away) and Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh is less than an hour), many other employment opportunities are also available. Ohio County offers a variety of sporting and cultural events including the Wheeling Nailers, a ECHL hockey team affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins, boasts a low unemployment and crime rate, and offers competitive housing prices. With a median home cost of $92,000, Wheeling is definitely worth considering when making a career move.
Source: wikimedia.org
Putnam County has some of the most highly touted public schools in the state of West Virginia. With 22 schools serving just under 10,000 students, it's easy to recognize that public education is important in this area of the state. Winfield, the county seat is the home of Winfield High school, one of the four high schools in the county that is nationally ranked and recognized. Hurricane High school is also nationally ranked, while the other two, Buffalo and Poca are nationally recognized. There are also four middle schools and 13 elementary schools in the county. With towns such as Eleanor and Winfield sporting some of the lowest unemployment rates in the state, combined with the close proximity to larger cities Charleston and Huntington, finding suitable employment to raise a family is a viable option.
Although these school districts didn't make into the top three, they still have a lot to offer their students. If this had been a top 10 list, the seven additional counties would have included:
There really isn't a wrong county as far as the three best school districts in West Virginia we've selected goes. All three provide and excellent educational experience for students. All three counties offers an abundance of recreational areas and activities, from amusement parks to water sports. But there are some differences socially and economically that you might want to consider. For example, both Putnam and Ohio Counties offer access to larger metropolitan areas, with Charleston being less than an hour away from Winfield and Pittsburgh being less than an hour away from Wheeling. But if you thrive in a college or younger population atmosphere, Monongalia County is the place for you, thanks to the college doubling the population of Morgantown. If cultural diversity is an important factor, Putnam County has the most culturally diverse population of the three counties. Housing is plentiful in all three areas an d single family residences, from modern townhomes to old fashioned Victorians are available in a variety of neighborhoods. Rural living is also an option.
Hopefully, this information puts to rest the concept that West Virginia is a educationally backwards state. Between our nationally ranked and recognized schools, excellent colleges and universities and dynamic culture, anyone who is considering moving their family to the state should not have anything to fear.
